Piazza Sempione

In a world where J.Crew sells made-in-Italy ballet flats for $150, it's harder and harder to convince shoppers that high-end basics are worth their price. But that's exactly what Piazza Sempione, the 20-year-old Italian brand that recently underwent a major financial overhaul, aims to do. For Resort—debuting just a few months after licensing firm Sinv rescued the label from the Italian equivalent of bankruptcy—collection director Fabio Falleti took silhouette cues from the 1950s. "The skirts are ample," he said, referring to nipped-waist dresses in butter yellow and cotton candy pink. A long skirt, printed with yellow flowers, had a ball gown feel, and an unlined, jacquard-check trench was gathered in the back to create an hourglass shape.

Explaining that "fancy pants in novelty prints" are big sellers for the brand, Falleti showed several versions, highlighting the label's classic Audrey capri in a floral print, windowpane checks, and other commercially viable prints. But it's his newer, baggier pleated pants that really get the shopping juices flowing. Done in fabrics as simple as khaki and as ornate as a silver-Lurex-embroidered pink poplin—and styled with simple white sneakers—they're not only viable, they're also desirable.